Master John Donne was born in London, in the year 1573, of good and virtuous parents: and, though his own learning and other multiplied merits may justly appear sufficient to dignify both himself and his posterity, yet the reader may be pleased to know that his father was masculinely and lineally descended from a very ancient family in Wales, where many of his name now live, that deserve and have great reputation in that country. By his mother he was descended of the family of the famous a...

John Donne, Andrew Marvell, George Herbert, Thomas Carew and Henry Vaughan: these were some of the 17th-century writers who devised a new form of poetry full of wit, intellect and grace, which we now call Metaphysical poetry. They wrote about their deepest religious feelings and their carnal pleasures in a way that was radically new and challenging to their readers. Their work was largely misunderstood or ignored for two centuries, until 20th-century critics rediscovered it, finding in it ...

Sophisticated wit and intense emotion, religious fervour and erotic sensuality, delight in life’s pleasures and fascination with death, are all to be found in the paradoxical poetry of John Donne. One of the foremost metaphysical poets, Donne’s ingenious metaphors and inspired use of language has earned him affection and reverence in near equal measure to Shakespeare. This collection of his finest poetry showcases the diverse range of his work, and includes Death Be Not Proud, A Hymn to Go...

Dean of St. Paul' s, John Donne was feted in his day not just as a poet but also as an inspired and inspiring preacher, and these four extended meditations on death are amongst his most powerful and dramatic writings. The magnificent " Death' s Duel" is published here alongside his Lent sermons for the two previous years (1628 and 1629), along with his Easter Day sermon of 1619, preached on the occasion of the King' s sickness. Together they create a fascinating study of early 17th-century...

This volume, the ninth in the series of The Variorum Edition of the Poetry of John Donne, presents newly edited critical texts of 25 love lyrics. Based on an exhaustive study of the manuscripts and printed editions in which these poems have appeared, Volume 4.2 details the genealogical history of each poem, accompanied by a thorough prose discussion, as well as a General Textual Introduction of the Songs and Sonets collectively. The volume also presents a comprehensive digest of the commen...

The present edition of Donne's poems grew out of my work as a teacher. In the spring of 1907, just after I had published a small volume on the literature of the early seventeenth century, I was lecturing to a class of Honours students on the 'Metaphysical poets'. They found Donne difficult alike to understand and to appreciate, and accordingly I undertook to read with them a selection from his poems with a view to elucidating difficult passages and illustrating the character of his 'metaph...

This selection of John Donne's most powerful prose shows that the man remembered predominantly for his poetry was also a preacher, and a prose writer of extraordinary power. In it, he explores the metaphysical collision between poetry and religion, suicide and duty, the secular and the spiritual that characterized his times.Edited with an introduction and notes by Neil Rhodes.

The Greatest Poems of John Donne presents the concentrated force of one of English literature's most intellectually adventurous poets. Moving between the sensuous urgency of the love lyrics and the grave spiritual introspection of the Holy Sonnets, the collection displays Donne's distinctive metaphysical method: startling conceits, argumentative wit, dramatic speakers, and abrupt shifts between the bodily and the divine. His verse transforms lovers, compasses, flea bites, bells, and mortal...

John Donne Complete Works World's Best CollectionThis is the world’s best John Donne collection, including the most complete set of Donne’s works available plus many free bonus materials.John DonneJohn Donne was an English poet, satirist, lawyer and a cleric in the Church of England. He is considered the pre-eminent representative of the metaphysical poets, his works noted for their strong, sensual style. Vibrancy of language and in...

The best of John Donne's poemsJohn Donne (1572-1631) was born into a Catholic family and studied law before sailing with Essex to attack Cadiz in 1596. He was appointed secretary to Sir Thomas Egerton, the Lord Keeper (later Lord Chancellor), in 1598, but forfeited his worldly prospects when he secretly married Ann More, Lady Egerton's niece, in 1601; he was dismissed by Egerton and briefly imprisoned. The next twelve years or so were passed in poverty, without reg...

Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions; Together with Death's Duel gathers John Donne's most searching prose meditations on sickness, mortality, and divine providence. Written in the wake of a grave illness, the Devotions transform bodily crisis into a sequence of spiritual diagnoses, prayers, and moral reflections, culminating in the famous recognition that "no man is an island." Paired with Death's Duel, Donne's final sermon, the volume stands at the intersection of metaphysical wit, Jacobean...

‘A dime a dozen’ as known in America, is perhaps equal to the English ‘cheap as chips’ but whatever the lingua franca of your choice in this series we hereby submit ‘A Rhyme a Dozen’ as 12 poems on many given subjects that are a well-rounded gathering, maybe even an essential guide, from the knowing pens of classic poets and their beautifully spoken verse to the comfort of your ears.